BLUF: The Defense Acquisition Regulations System submitted a clearance request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on October 1, 2026 for the information collection tied to DFARS 252.204-7018, the clause barring covered defense telecommunications equipment or services from Department of Defense (DoD) contracts.

The notice, filed under Docket Number DARS-2026-0331 and OMB Control Number 0750-0002, is a routine Paperwork Reduction Act submission to keep an existing collection authorized — it does not itself change the underlying rule. That rule implements Section 1656 of the FY2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which prohibits DoD from procuring or renewing contracts for equipment, systems, or services that use covered telecommunications equipment as a substantial or essential component, including for nuclear deterrence and homeland defense missions.

Why it matters: Every DoD offeror must annually represent, under DFARS 252.204-7017, whether it provides covered telecommunications equipment or services to the government; a contractor that cannot make that representation must then disclose, offer-by-offer under 252.204-7018, whether the covered equipment is part of its specific offer. This OMB clearance request keeps that representation-and-disclosure mechanism in force — any interruption would affect the paperwork contractors rely on to certify compliance on new DoD solicitations.

By the numbers:

• Docket Number: DARS-2026-0331
• OMB Control Number: 0750-0002
• Comment deadline: November 2, 2026
• Underlying clauses: DFARS 252.204-7017 (representation) and 252.204-7018 (disclosure)
• Statutory basis: Section 1656, FY2018 NDAA

The notice invites comment on whether the collection is necessary, DoD's estimate of respondent burden, and ways to minimize that burden, including through automated collection techniques.

Source: Federal Register